Norway ‘Frozen’ Ride Rumors Begin

Ok, so I admit that as the blogger for totalorlando I didn’t really want to go to see the ‘Frozen’ movie at the cinema just before Christmas. I had decided that it was going to be girly (it is) and not as all suitable for boys (I was wrong!).
In all honesty there has been a lot of hype about Frozen, and much of it is well deserved. For such a simple story, it really hit the spot for me as a Disney fan that pulls no punches when it comes to talking about movies. Planes? Pure grade B rubbish.

Frozen however crossed a big boundary: It was oh so simple. Yet enchanting.

Disney appeared to dispense with crazy antics and cliche humor and instead went back to Walt’s favorite talent: storytelling.
This is the very essence of the original Disney Studio efforts and taking the painstaking effort to create a very watchable movie paid off as far as our family was concerned.
The storyline you might well now know, but just to recap, two young Norwegian princesses deeply adore each other as they play in their enchanted and privileged land. All is good until one day, Elsa’s magic gets unexpectedly out of hand as she unwittingly injures her beloved sister Anna within her icy powers. Through self seclusion, they grow up together, never knowing each other until Elsa must take to the throne of the Kingdom.

The Magic goes wrong yet again and the entire Kingdom (hey Magic Kingdom!) is cast into a permanent freeze.
The tale goes on to show that true love and endurance can save the day, making this an epic version of a familiar format that families always enjoy.

Epcot’s Norway and Frozen

And so to business!Epcot’s Norway already plays host to a now extended character greet area for Anna and Elsa, but there are rumblings around the internet from various sources that suggest that the Maelstrom ride might give way to a new attraction under the ‘Frozen’ theme.

The rumors aren’t firm, and sources are vague, leaving anything open to an entirely new ride system and a brand new Facade, down to a re-themed version of the existing ride system.
For now, however, no matter how much we feel that Epcot needs a new major attraction and love the idea of Frozen as a theme, we think it has to remain in the ‘cuckoo tree’ for a few months yet at least. Don’t start planning to visit based on this one just yet!

Epcot, a Park that isn’t kid friendly

Do your kids love Epcot? Yes ours do too.
For the life of me I don’t know why though. The least magical of the parks just seems a little too ‘grown up’ and ‘disjointed’ for me if I think about it long enough. Sure, there’s a lot of fun going on in there.
If it was the only park in WDW it would still be the talk of the world wouldn’t it!

Yes, Epcot is amazing, but no, kid friendly it isn’t.Nemo, Figment, a brain numbing duck themed Mexican boat ride and a few moderate play areas aren’t enough to really make kids scream yey Epcot!
A lack of park wide transportation and a huge hike adds to the misery for many toddlers in that baking heat. There’s no other park in Orlando that keeps you out in the sun for that long!
No, Epcot is not kid friendly. You can’t convince me otherwise, despite my adoration of the place!

Epcot needs MORE attractions, not LESS and if the rumors about Norway are true, (IF), then we can kiss goodbye to yet another important stopping point for a year or so.
A makeover of the existing ride system of Maelstrom seems unlikely to give the Imagineers a chance to do justice to the storyline, and authentic detailing that made the movie so important. A quick fix and re-theme almost seems out of the question.

My preference is to leave Norway alone and create an entirely new attraction elsewhere, but I bet this rumor gathers more credibility over the coming months and I lose my charming encounter with Peer Gynt at the top of that little waterdrop past the troll. 🙁